Tips for a successful media interview

Facing the media in an interview should not be a hassle if you know how to do it. Here are tips for a successful media interview.

Here are the Secrets of Succeeding in an Interview with the Media

If you are planning to have a high-flying career in the corporate sector, you will most likely face the media in interviews. Holding interviews with the press is critical since it can help you reach a bigger audience faster and at times, cost-free. To prepare you for such tasks, our career experts at EssayForever have compiled a list of things you should do to have a successful interview with the press. Remain with us to discover more as you sharpen yourself for a bright career future.

Know Why You Are Attending the Interview

To succeed in your interview, it is needful to know why you want to attend the interview. This is necessary irrespective of whether you called the press or they requested for the session. If you don’t establish the goal of that session, you will end up wasting your time. If the reporter asked for the interview, you have to confirm from them why they want to talk to you. This way, you can know how to approach it and sneak in your agenda as you answer their questions.

Prepare Your Quotes

All journalists like great sound bites. Therefore, prepare your materials with quotes that will linger in the minds of your audience.

Use Simple Language

Do you want your interview to succeed? Then you have to use simple language. I know it can be challenging climbing down from your castle of jargon, but eventually, it pays better dividends. When faced with an opportunity to engage the media, you have to put your audience’s interests first because you are not communicating to yourself.

Mind Your Appearance

Irrespective of whether you are attending an interview for TV, radio, online, or print media, it is necessary to pay attention to your appearance. You have to dress appropriately, learn how to sit, and know where to face during the interview. For instance, when attending a television interview, you have to be careful how you wear. For men, you have to be careful with your dressing and avoid wearing “holey” socks since the media likes zooming such petty things. You should also be careful how you sit since if you show any sign of fidgeting, the camera will zoom it. It is also necessary to maintain a keen eye contact with the journalist while using an appropriate body language.

Confirm the Details

It is also prudent to confirm all the details of the interview beforehand to prepare for it adequately. For example, you have to confirm the session’s date, venue, and duration.

Time and Location

The success of your sessions with the press will also depend on how you handle these two elements. For instance, you ought to budget enough time for the interview irrespective of whether you will go out to meet the press or they will come to your premises. The reason is that either they or you can get caught in road jams, leading to a delay in the starting and conclusion of the interview. If you are attending the interview at the media house’s premises, you have to be there on time, at least 10 to 20 minutes earlier. When hosting the media in your office, prepare it and tidy it early enough. Also, you have to cut off all disruptions during the session.

Avoiding Questions

To succeed in your interview, you also need to prepare not to answer some questions and know how best to do it. The reason is that the media can ask questions to which you don’t have answers or you lack the authority to answer. In either cases, you have to explain to the press people why you will not answer their questions.

Correcting the Reporter

Lastly, learn how to correct the reporters if they make incorrect comments because they did not come to teach, but rather, to learn by asking questions. Therefore, it is alright to correct them if they make mistakes.

With these tips at your fingertips, you should be able to succeed in all your interviews with the press. The ball is in your court to do the right thing.

About The Author

Hey, I'm Shannon and I'm the founder and Queen Bee of this crazy place we call NashvilleGab. A few things about me - I'm pretty much a nerd, I'm obsessive about weird things, I suck at selfies, and I tend to make corny jokes that only truly awesome people will appreciate. A little known fact about me is that I once showed up in the background of a television news story carrying a basket of dirty laundry. Yep, true story.